American Airlines will resume flying to Israel in March, becoming the last US legacy aviation giant to renew service to Tel Aviv, highlighting the fledgling resurgence of Israel’s aviation and tourist sectors in the immediate wake of the fragile peace deal, brokered by US President Donald Trump.
The Dallas-based carrier suspended flights to Israel immediately after the October 7 Hamas-led invasion of Israel that triggered the war, and has stayed away entirely over the past two years, unlike rivals United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
Announcing its planned schedule today, American Airlines stated it will offer daily non-stop service from New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport starting on March 28, with the return service to New York beginning on March 31.
The lucrative New York-Tel Aviv route was long the top international route out of Israel, and is consistently in high demand.
Several major airlines have recently resumed flights to Israel, with Air Canada restoring services to Tel Aviv from Toronto earlier this month. It paused services following Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June. Services from Montreal will only resume in the spring.
Both British Airways and Iberia are set to resume flights to Israel on Sunday, while Scandinavian Airlines and German budget airline Eurowings will restore services next week.
Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier, Ryanair, has pushed back its return to Israel indefinitely due to a dispute with the Israel Airports Authority over regaining its previous flight slots.
Meanwhile, Wizz Air, a low-cost rival to Ryanair, is set to open a hub in Israel next year, a move that is expected to shake up the aviation market and dramatically bring down airfares.
Additional reporting by Katie Grant
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